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Plenty of clients, and offers, for Boras

Plenty of clients, offers for Boras

LAS VEGAS -- At the upcoming Winter Meetings, agent Scott Boras will be representing more than 15 free agents. How does he juggle that workload and keep all of the customers satisfied?

"He doesn't have any problem, from what I see," said right-hander Derek Lowe, going through his second free agency with Boras. "He's been doing it for so many years, that's not something I worry about. He's had more than this. The thing about Scott is that you have a relationship with him. He understands what's important to his client."

The conventional wisdom is that the only thing important to a Boras client is money, and he sets out to auction off each player to the highest bidder. Ramirez said as much when last seen peeling off his Dodgers uniform.

Lowe, however, offers a differing view.

"Absolutely, some players say, 'Get me the most money,' and they don't care where they go," Lowe said. "I'm a little different. With me, it's all about winning. The team with the best chance of winning, year in and year out, is where I want to go. Scott understands that. I've already had clubs contact us that are interested, but they're not ready to win. Scott knows that's my No. 1 priority, and he's looking out for my best interest. He's done exactly what I've been talking about."

Lowe said he's spoken to Boras a handful of times this offseason, but he does not expect to speak with the agent daily during the Winter Meetings. Lowe said he has an equally strong relationship with Mike Fiore, a longtime Boras associate, and between the two is "completely" satisfied with the parties' communication during the Winter Meetings, as well as the rest of the year.

Lowe also said suspicions that Boras orchestrates where a player signs, even to facilitate the signing of another player elsewhere, is a fantasy.

"This misperception that he puts you in places whether you want to be there or not, that doesn't happen," Lowe said. "At the end of the day, he'll tell you, 'Here are the offers, but the final say is yours -- you decide.' What you want from the agent is to get you the offers and give you a choice, but it's the player's choice."

Lowe said he was hoping that Boras could have extracted a multiyear contract from the Dodgers, who appeared in the postseason twice during the veteran's four-year stint in Los Angeles, but the only offer the club made him was for salary arbitration, which Lowe declined.

"Scott tried hard to make it work with the Dodgers, but it didn't work out," Lowe said. "People say I wanted to go back east or I wasn't happy. I really wanted to come back, but they didn't call. It's easy to turn down nothing."

Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.